Boxing is kind of a great analogy here, but not in the way you think.
Boxers have this concept called "telegraphing" to call out patterns of movement that indicate what they're about to do. It's one of the easiest ways to lose a fight because an opponent who can read your tells can react to them instead of to the move that they precede.
Even though both participants know that the other is actively attempting to attack them, there's still a significant amount of strategic value in concealing the specifics of imminent activity.
